


1860: Chris Larabee

by Deannie



Series: Eighteen-Hundred-and-Sixty [4]
Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Community: hc_bingo, Gen, Supermagnificent AU, engineered human
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-07-16 04:13:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7251628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deannie/pseuds/Deannie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The funny thing was that he really didn't think he'd make it out this time. He survived more in the last fifteen years than almost anyone: mortars, muskets, falls, and bayonets. He'd nearly lost a leg, nearly bled to death a few times, but amazingly enough, he'd never drowned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1860: Chris Larabee

**Author's Note:**

> For the hc-bingo prompt "drowning"

He was forty-eight and for the first time in a long time, he was pretty sure he was finally going to die.

The rock on top of him was just a few pounds more than he could lift, from the way it shuddered just a little when he shoved at it. The surface of the water was just a few feet above his head, looking at the eddies of light that teased him with freedom. The air in his lungs was just a few minutes too rank, judging by the way his head rang and his vision faded in and out.

The funny thing was that he really didn't think he'd make it out this time. He survived more in the last fifteen years than almost anyone: mortars, muskets, falls, and bayonets. He'd nearly lost a leg, nearly bled to death a few times, but amazingly enough, he'd never drowned.

Never came even close, in fact. He'd always been a good swimmer, growing up near one of the largest rivers in the country. He'd never had any reason to believe he'd ever plunge into a lake and end up with a half-ton rock holding him down. Wasn't something a man contemplated.

Course he had the time now, as his lungs screamed for fresh air and his body twitched in exhaustion from trying to move what couldn't be moved.

Death was something he'd thought about a lot, mostly because he should have died years ago. He'd been bleeding to death, the damage to his pelvis and hip too much for any doctor. Any doctor but Erskine, of course. The crazy little man from Germany had laid out the deal in simple terms.

"You can die, and we will let you, or you can agree to help us with one of the greatest experiments in human history."

"And probably still die," he'd replied, seeing the writing on the wall damn clearly in his final hours.

Erskine had smiled, almost kindly. "Probably. Yes." He'd leaned forward, a shine of genius or madness in his eyes. "But what if you don't?"

_ And yet,  _ Chris thought wryly,  _ here I am. Dying. _

Something kicked in in his brain and he focused every ounce of strength he had left.

_ To Hell with that. _

His arm muscles bunched and he slid his hands under the giant rock as far as they would go. One tremendous shove, and he felt his muscles and ligaments shred as the rock gave way. 

The density of his reengineered bones was a hindrance, but he fought against the weight to claw his way to the surface, breaking out into fresh air before he lost that last whiff of consciousness.

A hook caught him around the middle and dragged him, face up, to the edge of the lake.

"Twelve minutes, Chris," a cheery, accented voice greeted him as he sucked in air and tried to force ruined muscles to pull him to dry land. "I knew, eventually, you would realize that your desire to survive could outweigh your body's desire to give up." 

Chris looked up at Erskine in annoyance, and the crazy old man  _ grinned _ . "Mind over matter, Mr. Larabee."

Yeah. More madness than genius, that was for damn sure.

*******  
  



End file.
